Born and raised by Mexican immigrant parents near the US/ MEX border, Sandra Velasquez is a strong Latina role model that uses her platform to celebrate and elevate Latino culture while providing access and mentorship to her community.

She launched Nopalera, a Mexican Botanical Bath & Body brand, during the pandemic with no outside funding or savings, while working three jobs, being a single mother, at the age of 44. The brand is now sold in Nordstrom, Credo Beauty, Free People and over 400 independent retailers nationwide. In 2022 she raised 2.7 Million in Series Seed funding and won Latino Start Up Of The
Year at the L’Attitude Conference. In 2023 she appeared on Shark Tank where she infamously turned down two offers, rallying the Latino community to stand in their worth.

Prior to Nopalera, she was the leader of Latin-Alternative band Pistolera, which toured internationally and had its music on hit TV shows like Breaking bad. She is the host of The Nopalera Podcast which documents the journey of building her company in real time while sharing stories of other courageous entrepreneurs.

Speaking Topics

• Entrepreneurship
• Brand Building & Positioning
• Sales & Distribution Strategy
• Relationship Building